NCJ Number
213328
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 68 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 42-44
Date Published
February 2006
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the features of an effective correctional facility "light-duty" program, which involves administering temporary tasks for employees with injuries that, until healed, prevent them from performing essential tasks of their regular jobs.
Abstract
Light-duty jobs should not have features that make them more appealing than the regular job of the recuperating employee; this encourages malingering. Neither should the light-duty job be so distasteful as to be considered a form of punishment for being disabled. The administrator who manages light-duty assignments should carefully consider how to match a particular employee with a light-duty job that will not be as fulfilling and challenging as his/her regular job. This requires that light-duty administrators understand the task preferences of employees, such that the regular job will still be preferred to the light-duty assignment. Otherwise, the light-duty job will invite a reluctance to return to the regular job when physically able to do so. Administrators must also take into account how work assignments for temporarily handicapped employees may be impacted by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and/or the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Applicable State laws may be even more restrictive. Light-duty policies should be reviewed by the facility's legal counsel before they are implemented. In all cases, light-duty assignments should be offered only to employees who provide documented proof that they cannot perform the essential functions of their regular jobs. Employers must also decide the duration of light-duty assignments. It is important to determine a reasonable period of recovery for each injury or medical condition, such that the employee understands that the assignment is for a limited time period.